A few of my favourite DVDs

Thought I would share 2 DVDs I have watched recently that I have really enjoyed.

The Victorian Kitchen examines life in the kitchen 100 years ago.  What was it like for the cook working in a large country house in Britain?  Tough to say the least - no fancy machines to do the work, no fast foods or cans to grab . . . a fire to keep hot and constant demand for fancy from the family.  It really makes our lives look very easy in comparison.  This was a great series (made in 1996) and full of fascinating information - I found the way stock was made so interesting and glad it doesn't take me three days!! Also interesting was looking at how food was keep cold, the making of ice-cream and the role of the kitchen garden.

This would make a good resource for homeschooling - eg life before the refrigerator, storing food over winter.  Made by the BBC.  I gave this one 4 stars - wish it had provided more information on the recipes.  DH quite enjoyed watching this one with me.

 I would rate this one: ★★★★

I have discovered episodes 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 8th on You tube (I have included the first two) - the rest are probably there somewhere.



~oOo~



On a similar line to the DVD above, the Victorian Pharmacy recreates the Pharmacy of yesteryear.  According to Amazon: The DVD recreate the birth and evolution of a high street institution we take for granted, but which was once a novel idea. They source ingredients, mix potions and dispense cures. But in an age when skin creams contained arsenic and cold medicines were based on opium, the team need to be highly selective. An age of social change is revealed. The Victorians brought healthcare within the reach of ordinary people for the very first time, and heralded a consumer revolution that reached far beyond medicine to create the model for the modern high street chemist as we know it today.

This is a very interesting documentary full of fascinating facts about the drugs we take for granted, those that have disappeared (some where very toxic), the role the pharmacy played in the Victorian age plus information on medical history and diseases of the time. It also looks at the importance of advertising to the rich (as the Pharmacy wanted to make money) and making products that the poor could afford. 

It contains four, 60 minute episodes that cover a 60 year time frame - this shows the development of the Pharmacy from a novelty to a place that could save lives. 




 I would rate this one: ★★★★★

~oOo~

What have you been watching lately that you would recommend?
~oOo~

Comments

  1. We're looking forward to watching the Victorian Kitchen! :) We might start it in our special lessons tomorrow!
    The Pharmacy one sounds fascinating too! It's interesting to realise how much of what they used was actually bad for them - and interesting to think about how many common medicines used today will be known to be bad in another 150 years (if the Lord doesn't return first!). We look back now and think some of what they did was ridiculous... what will people think of us in the future???

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  2. Or Clara - our modern drugs no longer work and we return to some of the old fashion drugs. Medicine has come a huge distances in 150 years, it is quite amazing.

    Enjoy the Victorian Kitchen - perhaps you could make some food from that era - love to hear about it. Itis times like this that I wish I was home schooling, there is so many wonderful things to teach.

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  3. Fascinating DVDs. Thanks for sharing them.

    I agree with Clara -- we may discover that some of our drugs and vaccines had far ranging side effects that we didn't realize.

    It is also true that modern medicine can do amazing things.

    I enjoyed this post.

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  4. Jo,
    I'm so glad you shared about these. They look fascinating, and I'm sure I wouldn't have stumbled across them on my own. Thank you!

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  5. I didn't have time to watch the little video clips, but from your descriptions, these DVD's sound quite excellent. I think I would enjoy watching them. Did you purchase both of them from Amazon? If so, I'll have to add them to my wish list.

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  6. Madame Wildflower, both were purchase from Amazon.UK, where I buy all my DVDs. Both were so intereting and I am sure you would really enjoy the Victorian Kitchens.

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  7. These sound *really* interesting. Thanks for telling us about them Jo. And thank you for the kind comments you left for me regarding Toby. :o)

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  8. Hi Jo - thanks for these suggestions - they both look wonderful - I would enjoy them I think. I'll save them for the next rainy day!

    (I sure have missed you~~)
    Vicki

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  9. Thanks Vicki - you are such a dear blogging friend:)

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  10. Oh wow, these look great! Thank you for sharing this! I love learning about how homemakers used to do things.

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